Great Park amenities: Amphitheater? Water park? Irvine residents say what they want

IRVINE – An amphitheater, a water park, museums, a library, pools, a botanical garden, an archery range.

These are some of the amenities residents said they want to see get built at the Orange County Great Park during a community workshop Tuesday night. The 1,300-acre former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro site owned by the city could match the size of San Diego’s Balboa Park when fully developed.

About 250 people packed the lobby and City Council chamber at City Hall to get information about the existing plans and voice their opinions.

“I think it’s got great potential,” said attendee Christine Ellis Comp, who’s lived in Irvine’s Turtle Rock community for 24 years. “I’m glad there is a renewal of this community outreach to bring the public back into planning.”

The city has developed 200 acres of the land it received from a developer in the mid- to late-2000s. Amenities include the Great Park balloon, a carousel, a visitor center, a kids rock play area, walkable historical timeline, a Hangar 244 event center, an arts complex, a horticulture area and sports fields.